Neverwinter Forest spirit of the stairwell

Oversized paws paddled and kicked as Cypress Benvolio Frostfur, wrapped in slumber, fought to gain purchase in an imagined spar with his brother. His puppy-blunt muzzle twitched into a snarl, a thready growl warbling from his vocal cords in harmless little puffs. He was so close — if he could just reach the scruff of his infuriatingly elusive opponent, he’d win this one. Flipping over to his side with a hefty thump and a cry of imagined effort, the Neverwinter prince startled himself awake. Skittering sideways, his sooty feathers puffed out with remembered ferocity, the Neverwinter prince blinked his milky blue eyes and immediately sought out his dandelion fluff brother. A soot sprite no longer, the pudgy little raven was eager to spread his restless wings — and although he had only napped for a short time, he felt completely refreshed.

“Noch!” he called out softly, his youthful treble high and sweet and unabashed. Still a little grumpy with Rannoch because of the way he’d bested his darkling brother in the dream-spar, Cypress bounded up alongside the other puppy nevertheless and flopped down unceremoniously beside him. “Whassit?” he piped cheerfully, wondering what exactly had so caught the grayscale puppy’s rapt attention. Demandingly he rolled over onto his side, shoving his brother with all four paws to garner a reaction from him and cease his sphinx-like stillness. Both boys were beginning to grow lankier, their legs beginning to lengthen as the chubbiness of their bodies just barely began to melt away, and it was becoming apparent even at this young age that Rannoch would prove to be bigger in bone and more bulky in frame than his wild-furred brother.

In the sky lingered a damp heaviness — one that felt new to Cypress; it felt as though the whole world was waiting for something — holding its breath. “Noch,” he wheedled.